As Melissa Conley-Tyler and Benjamin Day have noted, ‘statecraft’ is increasingly the term of art when it comes to Australian policymaking—and, as Will Leben has observed, a welcome one. The increasing focus on statecraft in …
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) has announced a three-year plan to reduce the amount of soybean meal in animal feed to help decrease reliance on imports. The proportion of soybean meal in …
There’s a rapidly increasing awareness that the global future of energy is coming, ready or not. Recent contributions to The Strategist describe very different possible Australian responses to the emerging renewable energy transformation, from David …
A senior analyst with ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre, Fergus Ryan took part in today’s hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media. This is his contribution to ASPI’s submission to …
Planet A The G7 has pledged to increase the pace of renewable energy development by collectively increasing offshore wind capacity by 150 gigawatts and solar capacity to more than a terawatt by 2030. Phasing out …
In opting to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as a part of the AUKUS deal with the United States and the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed Australia to a price tag of about $368 …
As the United States focuses on its showdown with Russia in Ukraine and its escalating competition with China, the Middle East has been left to run its affairs the way it always has: with marriages …
Japan can quickly and inexpensively increase its force of diesel-electric combat submarines from 22 to at least 28, if it stops prematurely retiring them. That would provide more of the one category of warship that …
Last month’s UN water conference has sparked renewed global attention on the management of water, particularly for domestic and agricultural uses. Water has long held a special significance in China, where it’s said that unique …
When I was Australia’s ambassador to the United States, I visited General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, one of two yards constructing the Virginia-class submarines. A Virginia was the backdrop in San Diego last …
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has set out her government’s plan to avert war in the region and maintain peace using all the elements of Australia’s national power including diplomacy and development assistance, underwritten by strong …
Australia has joined other countries in announcing a ban on the use of TikTok on government devices, with some states and territories following suit. The rationale was based on security fears and, in particular, the risk that the …
More than a decade after long-departed Western leaders called for his removal from office as a precondition for any resolution to the Syrian crisis, Bashar al-Assad is on the verge of reintegrating into the region. …
Sometimes, says former defence minister Brendan Nelson, ministers must make decisions that run contrary to the advice they receive from their departments. That’s why his concerns about delays in developing the F-35 joint strike fighter …
Owners and operators of Australia’s critical infrastructure will soon be turning their minds to the annual reporting required under the government’s new risk-management program. For many, this will be a new obligation under the amended …
Critical minerals are vital components in today’s rapidly growing clean-energy industry. They’re used in advanced technologies like electric vehicles and batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, fibre-optic cables and semiconductor chips. But the supply chain for …
The policy bottlenecks that many people thought would impede Germany’s Ampelkoalition (‘traffic-light coalition’) have materialised, well into its second year in power. The country’s first three-party government since the 1950s, comprising the Social Democrats, the …
The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, after visiting Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, made a ‘stopover’ last week in California, where she met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Beijing responded with …
James Bond first appeared 70 years ago today, playing roulette at three o’clock in the morning, in former British naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming’s debut novel, Casino Royale. Rejected by three US publishers, the book …
Sea state The 2023 edition of Exercise Tasman Shield, held from 17 March to 3 April, brought together aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force and ships from the Royal Australian Navy to practise integrated …